Parliament clears Bill to establish Assam’s first IIM in Guwahati

Guwahati: In a landmark moment for Assam and the entire Northeast, Parliament today passed the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, paving the way for the establishment of the first Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Assam and the second in Northeast India.

The Bill, which was earlier cleared by the Lok Sabha, was on Wednesday adopted in the Rajya Sabha, marking a historic step toward fulfilling a long-cherished aspiration of the people of Assam.

The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, welcomed this development and termed it as “the fulfilment of a long-standing aspiration of the people of Assam.”

The new IIM at Guwahati will be established under the Special Development Package announced as part of the historic peace accord signed between the Government of India, Government of Assam, and pro-talks ULFA group, aimed at ushering in holistic development for Assam.

Sonowal hailed the passage of the Bill and said, “This is a historic milestone for Assam and the entire Northeast. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, the IIM (Amendment) Bill, 2025, has now paved the way for establishing the first IIM in Assam and the second in the region at Guwahati. This path-breaking step, part of the Special Development Package under the peace accord with ULFA, is aimed at ushering in the all-round development of our state. IIM Guwahati will fulfil a long-standing aspiration of our youth, create world-class managers, attract investments, and energise the business and industrial ecosystem of the entire region. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji for his unwavering support for the progress and development of the region and for ensuring that the growth engine of Bharat is run by a formidable team of top management professionals from the region.”

Sonowal further added, “The conduct of Congress MPs during the voting process in Parliament, opposing the IIM for Assam, has deeply hurt the sentiments of our people. Their tradition of neglect, ill will, and disregard for Assam has once again been exposed before the nation. The people of Assam will never forgive such a stance. The passage of this historic Bill by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proves that the road of transformation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains unabated, undisturbed, and unhinged, despite the noise and obstruction from the Opposition.”

Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan, who introduced the Bill in Parliament, remarked, “For decades, Congress ignored the aspirations of Assam and the Northeast. It is only under the NDA — during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji and now under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji — that unprecedented development has taken place in the region. The establishment of an IIM in Guwahati was a long-standing demand of the people of Assam, strongly raised time and again by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Assam’s popular leader Sarbananda Sonowal. Respecting the aspirations of the people, Prime Minister Modi decided that the country’s 22nd IIM will be established in Guwahati.”

The Education Minister also announced that, with support from the Government of Assam, the new IIM will begin admissions, faculty recruitment, and academic programmes from the upcoming academic year itself.